grant me a wish from the stars
by VariousStories123
Summary: It was an accident. A simple turning of the wheels and he was gone. Then he wasn't. ("I... I wanted to go to Koshien with you guys...")
It was an accident.

He had been running through the streets of Tokyo after buying some manga, hurriedly trying to go back to the Seidou dorms before nightfall when a car veered off track.

Straight into him.

Really, it was just an accident.

* * *

 _("I… I wanted to go to Koshien with you guys…")_

* * *

"Yo Sawamura! It's almost lights out!" Kuramochi called from his shoulder, eyes on his game. "What were you doing so late?"

Sawamura didn't reply and Kuramochi turned to see what was wrong. He squinted. "Hey Sawamura, what- you look kind of weird."

A smile.

"I'm fine Kuramochi-senpai."

* * *

He didn't really get how he survived.

One minute he was staring into blaring headlights and in another, he was getting up with his purchases and staring into a broken pole with a car rammed into it.

He touched his face before shaking his head.

He wouldn't tell anyone about this.

Everyone had enough things to worry about without him adding on to it.

* * *

It is a few days in that he noticed something wrong.

"Hey Eijun-kun, aren't you going to eat? You have to eat three bowls remember?"

He smiled at Haruichi before turning to his food. "Yeah, it's just I'm not that hungry."

Haruichi pursed his lips for a moment before finishing up his own bowl. Then he spoke again, "Are you sure you're not getting sick Eijun-kun? You haven't been hungry in a while."

He closed his eyes. He hadn't been hungry since…

Since the car accident.

He suddenly stood, shaking his head wildly.

There was nothing wrong.

* * *

"Hey I heard from a little birdy that you didn't finish your three bowls of rice!"

He flinched as Miyuki slung an arm around him, grinning devilishly. He pouted before yelling, "HARUICHI, HOW COULD YOU BETRAY ME LIKE THIS?!"

Haruichi, far away in the batter's cage, sneezed.

* * *

Miyuki was worried.

It wasn't like Sawamura to not eat his customary three bowls and with Koshien coming up, he refused to think that the stress was getting to one of their best pitchers.

He sighed, resting his head on his hand.

"Honestly… that Bakamura…"

* * *

It was obvious that something was wrong.

He couldn't eat, couldn't sleep…

Perhaps if it was a day after the accident but for a month?

He clenched his fists as he curled up against a wall, feeling the urge to cry.

"What is wrong with me?!"

* * *

Chris watched as Sawamura skipped his meal again, looking none-worse-for-wear. He wondered why Sawamura couldn't eat. Meals were an important part of an athlete's career and for Sawamura to be skipping like this…

"Sawamura-kun."

Sawamura turned with wide eyes. "C-CHRIS-SENPAI!"

He winced at the younger's loud voice, nearly bursting his eardrums. "Please quiet down. Anyways, why aren't you eating? You know that meals are important."

At this, Sawamura wilted. A small voice. "I… I'm just not hungry."

This really made Chris worried. An ominous thought came to him. "Sawamura… You're not worried about your weight are you?"

"W-What?" Sawamura sputtered. "What? No! I'm just not hungry a lot! It's fine Chris-senpai!"

Chris raised an eyebrow but left it.

He'll make sure Sawamura was eating tomorrow.

* * *

He couldn't sleep.

No matter what he did, he would end up staying awake the whole entire night and the strange thing was…

He didn't feel changed at all.

He didn't feel sleepy nor did he feel exhausted.

He felt…

He felt fine.

* * *

Kuramochi didn't really know what was wrong with Sawamura, but he hoped that it wasn't anything too serious.

Sawamura had been staying up for the past month or two and it worried Kuramochi, no matter how much he denied it.

Sawamura was a cherished member of their team anyways.

* * *

He needed to go back to Nagano.

Something in his gut was telling him that he needed to take a break, needed to see his family and his friends.

Something in his gut also told him that he would find the answers to his problem if he did.

Thus in the next weekend, he takes a trip back home.

* * *

"Mom? Dad? Grandpa? I-I'm here to visit," he called, ducking his head into the kitchen where his mother was washing the dishes.

"Oh Eijun! You're back?! Oh I'm so glad-"

The shattering of a dish.

A heart-breaking scream.

* * *

 _("NOTMYBABYPLEASENOTEIJUNPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE-")_

* * *

His mother stared at him with heart-broken eyes, eyes that showed a horror that he knew nothing about.

His father spoke, "Eijun… there is something we need to tell you…"

* * *

 _("I'm dead?")_

* * *

He returned the next week.

His parents and Grandfather were adamant on spending as much time with him as possible, to get over the fact that their son was dead.

They do not mention the fact that they will most likely never get over it.

* * *

"Yo Sawamura, where'd you go?"

A dull smile. "Just home. I was getting kind of homesick y'know?"

Kuramochi laughed. "I knew you were a little kid!"

He didn't rise to the bait, instead looking out into the horizon. Then he spoke, "Kuramochi-senpai?"

"Hm?"

"After Koshien… I won't be here anymore."

At this, Kuramochi sprung up. "What?!"

"Kuramo-"

"WHAT DO YA MEAN YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE HERE?! I THOUGHT YOU LOVE BASEBALL, LOVE SEIDOU!"

"AND I DO!"

Kuramochi suddenly faltered.

He spoke again, the golden in his eyes disappearing as he looked away from Kuramochi. "I do love Seidou and baseball… The thing is Kuramochi-senpai…"

"The thing is?"

Clenched fists.

"Never mind."

* * *

Only a week until Koshien.

Something inside him was unfurling at that, a spirit to win, to see the Nationals stage.

Of course…

The sacrifice for that was disappearing forever.

* * *

The games went by quickly.

There was one pitch after another, an argument with Furuya here, a one-sided yelling match with Miyuki there.

Everything was going fine.

Except for one thing.

He couldn't forget his impending death.

* * *

"Miyuki Kazuya."

Miyuki sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you to just call me Miyuki?"

He ignored him, instead telling him the same thing he had told Kuramochi. "I won't be here after Koshien."

He watched as Miyuki froze. Then laugh. "Seriously Bakamura? That's the best joke you can come up with?"

He didn't laugh and Miyuki grabbed his shoulders, shaking him roughly. He looked away from his catcher's eyes. "I'm sorry. I have no choice. After we win Koshien, I won't be able to be here anymore."

Miyuki let go of him before turning. "Fine. Just- Just go."

* * *

Chris passed by the field, ready to go to bed when he could hear the sounds of a person running late into the night. He sighed.

It was definitely Sawamura.

* * *

He was running again.

Running from his problems, running from Miyuki's stricken face, running from Kuramochi's angry one.

Just running from Death.

Suddenly a voice called for him. "Sawamura-kun! What are you doing running so late? You have a game tomorrow!"

He paused before looking at Chris who was looking at him with a rather peeved expression. He paused before laughing almost sheepishly. "I-I'm sorry Chris-senpai. It's just- I just have something going on in my mind."

Chris walked up next to him. "What is it?"

He bit his lip.

"Well?"

"I told Kuramochi-senpai and Miyuki that…"

"That?"

"I'm leaving after Koshien."

Chris froze before covering his face with his hand. Then he looked up again. "Are- Are you going home? It's not like we can't visit or anything."

He smiled uncomfortably before settling for a vague answer. "Something like that. I'm not sure you can visit though."

"I'm sure we can. It's not like you're disappearing are you?"

A bitter laugh.

Chris had no idea.

* * *

This was the last game before they could finally move on to Nationals.

Inashiro.

He took a deep breath.

This was the last game before he could finally move on to the afterlife.

* * *

His parents and Grandfather came to watch the game.

He had originally wanted them to stay at home, to not watch him move on but they had refused, refused to leave their son alone as he died.

He wished they could be more selfish. He wished he could be more selfless.

There was no denying the warmth he felt seeing them in the stands.

* * *

This was it.

The last ball.

His heart clenched but he aimed to throw it with everything he had.

He wanted to take his senpais to Nationals, wanted to see their faces as they roared in victory.

* * *

 _(He wanted to go to the afterlife already… he was so tired of seeing himself hurt his parents, his friends…)_

* * *

The sound of the bat hitting the ball rang in his ears.

His eyes widened as he collapsed on the mound, legs sprawled and clawed hands covering his face in agony.

He screamed.

* * *

Miyuki had snapped out of his shock just as Sawamura had collapsed in a screaming fit, the sound making the hairs in the back of his neck stand up. He had run immediately towards Sawamura, Kuramochi reaching him just as he did. He could see from the corner of his eye, Chris opening up his cellphone and to call for an ambulance.

He tried to lift Sawamura's head. "Sawamura! What's wrong- Sawa-"

"I'm supposed to be dead!"

He and Kuramochi froze. "W-What?"

He lifted his head to see wide, panicked eyes. "I'm supposed to be dead right now!"

He let out a watery laugh. "Sawamura, we lost… I know but-"

 _"You don't understand. I got run over a few months ago. I'm supposed to be dead right now."_

* * *

Miyuki couldn't believe it.

No matter what, he could not allow himself to believe Sawamura's words.

Yet…

He opened his laptop, shoving his glasses up onto his hair.

He typed in the words "Tokyo Accident".

* * *

 _(Two victims, one a boy of the age of sixteen and the other an adult male. The male was identifiable but the boy was not. If anyone has information on who this boy is, please contact-)_

* * *

Miyuki slammed open the door to Kuramochi and Sawamura's room.

"YOU!"

Sawamura smiled at him with a rather tired smile. "You… You found out."

He grabbed his shirt, swinging him back in forth amidst Kuramochi's stunned silence. "HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME? HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL US?"

Sawamura almost looked ashamed and he spoke, soft and so unlike him, that it made Miyuki want to throw up. "I- I didn't want you guys to worry."

Kuramochi finally interrupted, "Miyuki… You can't possibly-"

He let out a grief-stricken howl and let go, opting to punch the wall. He could vaugely hear Sawamura speak, "Kuramochi-senpai… I-I died a few months ago. I was supposed to move on… I was supposed to move on when we won Koshien."

Kuramochi ran out leaving Miyuki in his wild grief and Sawamura in his silent one.

* * *

Kuramochi couldn't breathe.

No matter what he did, he couldn't fill his lungs with air.

He gave a low, bitter laugh.

Fucking Sawamura.

* * *

Chris knew something was wrong.

As he gazed at Sawamura's lone form, he wondered what had happened.

* * *

"Chris-senpai."

"Miyuki," he said surprised. "What's wrong?"

Miyuki swallowed. "Please call a team meeting. Just don't call Sawamura."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Miyuki, what's-"

"Please."

* * *

The whole Seidou team stood in the meeting hall at midnight, some shifting around uncomfortably. "What is it?" Yuuki asked, arms crossed.

Miyuki spoke.

* * *

The whole team was in an uproar.

"You mean Sawamura's dead?! H-He can't be dead!"

"This is impossible!"

Kuramochi slammed his hand down. "IT'S TRUE! IT'S TRUE AND HE'S DEAD AND-AND-"

"We can't do anything."

The team silenced at that and some looked on the verge of tears while others just looked angry. Suddenly Chris spoke, eyes shadowed. "You said that Sawamura was supposed to die after we won Koshien."

He looked up with blazing eyes.

"What if we don't? That means he can live right?"

* * *

The team was silent.

He walked through the practice field when someone hugged him. He craned his neck to see Haruichi with silent tears streaming down his face. Another pair of arms. Furuya rested on him, eyes shadowed and suddenly like a dam was broken, the whole team was piling on top of him like he was a teddy bear.

He almost started yelling when it dawned on him.

"Don't be sad. Please don't be sad."

* * *

"What? What did you say?"

Kuramochi fidgited uncomfortably at Sawamura's eyes. "Sawamura-"

The younger stood, skidding back his chair. "NO! YOU- YOU CAN'T!"

Kuramochi stood too then, trying to speak above him, "Sawamura, listen!"

Sawamura shook his head wildly. "You can't throw Koshien! You just can't! What about you and the senpais?! What about-"

"DON'T YOU THINK YOU'RE MORE IMPORTANT THAN A GAME?!" Kuramochi suddenly screamed, angry tears springing from his eyes. "ARE YOU SO SELFISH TO THINK THAT WE DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU?! THAT WE ONLY CARE ABOUT BASEBALL?! THERE IS NO BASEBALL WITHOUT YOU!"

Sawamura stared at him with wide eyes before covering his face. "Kuramochi-senpai…. Please don't throw the game." He looked up then, eyes a watery gold. "I want to see your smiles before I go."

* * *

No one could really say no to Sawamura.

No one could really say no to Sawamura's last wish either.

* * *

It is around the same time of year.

The last game.

The third-years watched with rather impassive faces, covering up whatever pain they were feeling to focus on the game. Sawamura was up to pitch again (his last pitch) and Miyuki tensed along with everyone else on the field.

The pitch made it through.

Three strikes, one out, and the game was over.

Sawamura collapsed on the mound.

* * *

 _("Thank you for granting my wish."_

 _A hand stroked his face._

 _"Hmm… There is no need for thanks."_

 _"And why not?"_

 _"Because I did not grant your true wish.")_

* * *

He gasped as his eyes shot open just in time to see everyone's teary eyes, their bodies huddled over his own. Miyuki let out a watery laugh. "I guess Kami-sama really favors you, huh?"

* * *

 _("Your true wish was to live for them.")_

* * *

"Yeah… I guess he does."


End file.
